The Essential Network (TEN): rapid development and implementation of a digital-first mental health solution for Australian healthcare workers during COVID-19

Abstract

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial reuse. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. INTRODUCTION The COVID19 pandemic has presented healthcare workers (HCWs) with extraordinary, unabating stress. International data suggest that frontline HCWs are at increased risk of poor mental health, with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) a significant concern. Early mental health treatment can lower the risk of HCWs developing more chronic and potentially disabling difficulties; however, many HCWs avoid seeking help due to concerns about stigma, 6 confidentiality and negative impacts on their employment. 8 HCWs urgently need accessible and effective mental health services that sidestep these systemic barriers. HCWspecific services must address the unique challenges of healthcare. During a pandemic, HCWs encounter unique stressors, such as fear of infecting their families or watching colleagues die, 10 and differ greatly in how they react to stress. Therefore, HCWs need a responsive, tailored mental health service that can address a range of concerns, from acute distress to moral injury and psychiatric disorders like PTSD. 4 Another challenge is delivering such personalised services at the required scale in the context of an ongoing pandemic. With tens of millions of HCWs across the globe, researchers have called for selfguided mental health tools for HCWs than can be rapidly scaled. Existing national healthcarefocused services have recommended streamlined triage for HCWs with fasttracking into persontoperson treatments. Only technologydriven solutions can service these needs while rapidly adapting and scaling during a crisis. A diverse anthology of patientfocused digital mental health interventions 17 have paved the way for multichannel digital hubs, such as Learn, Assess, Manage, Prevent, that can both personalise and centralise scalable care across states and even international borders. Yet despite these global innovations, few such services for HCWs exist Summary box